Tonight I went and saw Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and it was an fair family film. It was completely a family fair and looks to be for the tween market. It is probably a little too much for young, young children, but a bit lame for teenagers (unless they were like I was/am and love a good lame-ish family adventure file).
Sea of Monsters continues after the events of Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief (2010). I don't really remember what happened in the first movie but besides the general idea and knowing the backstory of the characters I don't think it really effects being able to figure out what it happening. For me the story was pretty straight forward and there was not really mystery or surprise. Anyway you need to know the Percy Jackson, played by Logan Lerman, is a half human son of Poseidon who is living at a camp for children of gods (Olympian) he is there with his friend a satyr Grover, played by Brandon T. Jackson, and daughter of Athena Annabeth, played by Alexandra Daddario. During the events of The Lightning Thief these three go against Luke, played by Jake Able, son of Hermes when he is trying to steal Zeus' Lightning Bolt.
Sea of Monsters starts with the story of Thalia, the daughter of Zeus who sacrifices herself to protect the camp and save her friends. We then go to modern day where the rival between Percy and the daughter of Aires Clarisse, played by Leven Rambin, and how she is always beating Percy and likes to be the best. After it is discovered that Luke is alive and that he is trying to destroy the camp Clarisse is sent on a quest to get the golden fleece from the Sea of Monsters. Percy, his friends, and his newly discovered Cyclops brother go off on their own because of the prophecy that puts Percy in the middle of this drama. Along the way they have to overcome challenges and try and come together to be successful.
One of my favorite parts is the Cameo of Nathan Fillion, who plays Hermes (Luke's father) and during this he gets to be his wonderful self and also make a fantastic reverence to how Firefly was canceled in it prime. I was not expecting this nugget and I think that I was the first one to get it during the movie because I laughed out loud and then a few of the teenagers mad a comment.
I saw this movie in 3D and although how it was incorporate it didn't bug or distract me from the movie, I don't think it really added anything. Yes there were moments when things came from the screen but most of the time I just forgot it was in 3D. The CGI was not the best but again it wasn't jarring or distracting from the movie.
This is very much a family movie and is set for that, so some of the simplicities of how things came about could have been more complete and clever but all of it seemed congruent with the type of movie it was. I think one of the main problems would be trying to incorporate so much lore, references and characters into it. I think if some of the characters were pruned it would have given a chance to see who each of them were. Knowing about Greek god lore and also the story of Homer's the Odyssey will make it easier to identify the characters and references and I am sure that I missed a lot of this and just glossed over it because the story kept going.
Overall this was a fair family film but probably worth seeing on TV unless the kids really want to see it now.
My Rating: 2-
Movie Reviews for the Movie Lover!
Friday, August 9, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Thor 2: The Dark World: Trailer
The new Thor: The Dark World Trailer has been released
Watch it below:
This trailer seems to expand a bit on the previous trailer and show a little more about the snippets that were previously released. Besides this slight expansion it seems to really focus on the peril of the characters and the need for Thor to not only save earth but the Asgard from being taken over presumably by evil. It also focused more on Loki and how everyone is watching him and expecting him to betray his brother.
Who's excited for the continuation of Marvel's phase 2 with Thor 2: The Dark World
Monday, August 5, 2013
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Official Trailer #2
I know that this trailer came out last month but I am still really excited for this movie...
This second trailer continues to be a teaser but it bring in the focus on the Elves. I am not sure how I fell about Legolas being a focus as he wasn't in the books but I can except that with the father being mentioned the son is likely to be there as well. I hope that the movie is good and as I am starting to gear up for the holiday releases, now that the summer releases have gone by, I am starting to get really excited for the second installment of The Hobbit.
Anyone else excited?
Watch below
This second trailer continues to be a teaser but it bring in the focus on the Elves. I am not sure how I fell about Legolas being a focus as he wasn't in the books but I can except that with the father being mentioned the son is likely to be there as well. I hope that the movie is good and as I am starting to gear up for the holiday releases, now that the summer releases have gone by, I am starting to get really excited for the second installment of The Hobbit.
Anyone else excited?
Elysium: Trailer
This week the new Matt Damon future world movie comes out, watch the trailer below
This movie being released in august (which in my opinion is a bit of a dump month for movies) and coming after a very action movie/ blockbuster saturated spring and early summer I am hoping that this movie it a bit different from the others. It seems a bit sci-fi-ish because of the technology and mechanical thing that gets attached to Matt Damon in order for him to be able to get to Elysium and using brains as storage devices for information which a lot of the recent movies have been (robots, spaceships, etc). I like that this one looks a bit gritty and more dark but this might just be that it doesn't want to give away too much of what happens once the metal thing is attached to Matt Damon. I like the juxtaposition of the destroyed dirty earth and Elysium but besides the basic concepts I do not really know much else about the movie.
Is anyone planning or excited to see this movie?
This movie being released in august (which in my opinion is a bit of a dump month for movies) and coming after a very action movie/ blockbuster saturated spring and early summer I am hoping that this movie it a bit different from the others. It seems a bit sci-fi-ish because of the technology and mechanical thing that gets attached to Matt Damon in order for him to be able to get to Elysium and using brains as storage devices for information which a lot of the recent movies have been (robots, spaceships, etc). I like that this one looks a bit gritty and more dark but this might just be that it doesn't want to give away too much of what happens once the metal thing is attached to Matt Damon. I like the juxtaposition of the destroyed dirty earth and Elysium but besides the basic concepts I do not really know much else about the movie.
Is anyone planning or excited to see this movie?
Soul Surfer (2011): Review
Today I wanted to watch a movie that I hadn't seen before but that I wanted to see when it came out. I decided on Soul Surfer because I was in the mood for an uplifting story with some sap. Soul Surfer is based on the true story of Professional Surfer Bethany Hamilton, played by AnnaSophia Robb in the movie, who as a young teenager had her left arm bitten off by a shark. She overcome this injury and didn't let it prevent her from achieving her dream of becoming a professional surfer. This movie follows her from before the attack until her first armature national surf completion after. It follows her struggles to adapt and those of her family and fiends who supported her journey.
This is definitely a family film and is focused on overcoming your challenges even when you doubt yourself. It really focuses on the personal interactions and the struggles many of the characters go through as they support Bethany. The movie also stars Dennis Quaid as Bethany's father and Helen Hunt as her mother.
This movie is quite sappy and as it is an inspirational story it focuses on the positives of overcoming challenges and not giving up when things get hard. It shows how Bethany used her faith and missionary spirit to keep her going and that he did this to bring positivity into others lives.
It was alright of a story and I bought into the emotional journey of the characters. It spends enough time of each character and what they were going through while keeping the story going. The CGI was inexpensive and a lot of the surfing scenes where obviously green screened but it is worth watching on an afternoon on TV.
My Rating: 2
This is definitely a family film and is focused on overcoming your challenges even when you doubt yourself. It really focuses on the personal interactions and the struggles many of the characters go through as they support Bethany. The movie also stars Dennis Quaid as Bethany's father and Helen Hunt as her mother.
This movie is quite sappy and as it is an inspirational story it focuses on the positives of overcoming challenges and not giving up when things get hard. It shows how Bethany used her faith and missionary spirit to keep her going and that he did this to bring positivity into others lives.
It was alright of a story and I bought into the emotional journey of the characters. It spends enough time of each character and what they were going through while keeping the story going. The CGI was inexpensive and a lot of the surfing scenes where obviously green screened but it is worth watching on an afternoon on TV.
My Rating: 2
Saturday, August 3, 2013
2 Guns (2013): Review
Earlier today I went and Saw 2 Guns with the family and it was a pretty good action movie. I think this was the first movie in a while that all of us agreed on being pretty good and that includes my mom actually liking an action movie. Although I enjoyed this movie I do not think that it was the best I have ever scene but I have decided that Mark Wahlberg has grown on me as an actor.
2 Guns is the story of Bobby, played by Denzel Washington, and Stig, played by Mark Wahlberg, who get caught up in a plot that they are not expecting. Bobby is an undercover DEA agent and he helps Stig, who turns out to be an undercover Navy marksmen who get manipulated into stealing over 43 million dollars from a CIA slush fund that they think is a 2 million cash stash from a Mexican Drug Lord. They discover that they have been set up and have to work together to try and get out of the mess they are in.
Like I stated before, Mark Wahlberg has grown on me as an actor in the type of role he played in this movie. Where he is a slightly OTT comic character that is basically a caricature and it seems like he is just having fun playing this character. This type of OTT acting I like, where it is done over the top but slightly held back with a wink and nod to the audience that they know they are being ridiculous but are doing it for the fun of it and the fun of playing that character. Denzel Washington was fine but he is on of those actors that I have difficulty seeing blend into the character instead of seeing it as Denzel Washington. I liked the supporting cast as well and especially Bill Paxton as the CIA agent.
The plot kept the movie going and as my mother stated "I didn't get bored" throughout it, but for me it seemed a bit too much thrown into it but with it still being pretty simplistic. It seemed like there were things that they were trying to keep in suspense but either through the trailers or through what happened in the movie it wasn't that big of a deal. It could have worked better at either trying to keep things as suspenseful or giving up the suspense and just going with having it be a fun ride. I think with Mark Wahlberg's character it was a fun ride and I liked how he interacted with all of the other characters.
This movie is worth seeing if you like action movies that keep the pace up and have a pretty ridiculous plot as well as lots of stuff being blown up and people being shot with no real regards for characters being killed off.
My Rating: 2+
2 Guns is the story of Bobby, played by Denzel Washington, and Stig, played by Mark Wahlberg, who get caught up in a plot that they are not expecting. Bobby is an undercover DEA agent and he helps Stig, who turns out to be an undercover Navy marksmen who get manipulated into stealing over 43 million dollars from a CIA slush fund that they think is a 2 million cash stash from a Mexican Drug Lord. They discover that they have been set up and have to work together to try and get out of the mess they are in.
Like I stated before, Mark Wahlberg has grown on me as an actor in the type of role he played in this movie. Where he is a slightly OTT comic character that is basically a caricature and it seems like he is just having fun playing this character. This type of OTT acting I like, where it is done over the top but slightly held back with a wink and nod to the audience that they know they are being ridiculous but are doing it for the fun of it and the fun of playing that character. Denzel Washington was fine but he is on of those actors that I have difficulty seeing blend into the character instead of seeing it as Denzel Washington. I liked the supporting cast as well and especially Bill Paxton as the CIA agent.
The plot kept the movie going and as my mother stated "I didn't get bored" throughout it, but for me it seemed a bit too much thrown into it but with it still being pretty simplistic. It seemed like there were things that they were trying to keep in suspense but either through the trailers or through what happened in the movie it wasn't that big of a deal. It could have worked better at either trying to keep things as suspenseful or giving up the suspense and just going with having it be a fun ride. I think with Mark Wahlberg's character it was a fun ride and I liked how he interacted with all of the other characters.
This movie is worth seeing if you like action movies that keep the pace up and have a pretty ridiculous plot as well as lots of stuff being blown up and people being shot with no real regards for characters being killed off.
My Rating: 2
Thursday, August 1, 2013
The Way Way Back (2013): Review
Tonight I went and saw The Way Way Back with my mom and I really enjoyed the movie. The beginning takes a little while to get going but once it does, it really is good.
The Way Way Back is centered around fourteen year old Duncan, played by Liam James who is going to his mother boyfriend's Trent, played by Steve Carell, beach house for the summer. With his is his mother Pam, played by Toni Collette, and Trent's daughter. Duncan has a poor relationship with Trent and this is identified at the beginning of the movie when Trent asks Duncan to rate his life on a scale of 1-10 and then rates him a 3. Trent is controlling and a huge A-hole to Duncan but due to being there with his mom Duncan has to put up with it. During this summer he meets the owner of a local waterpark Owen, played by Sam Rockwell, and start to grow as a person and discover who he is. It is basically the beginning of a coming of age story for Duncan with him trying to deal with situations that he did not choose to put himself in while trying to make it work.
For me, this movie takes a while to get going and some of the story line seems a bit over awkward. I know that awkward was the point of this, as it has the indie drama feel to it but for me Steve Carell had difficulty with the A-hole feel. This may be because he always tends to play things more comedy or dark comedy and this character didn't really have any lovable parts to it and I had difficulty seeing him embody the character. I also thought the chemistry between him and Toni Collette could have been better as they are suppose to be boyfriend and girlfriend and I would have liked it if there was a bit more between them. That being said, I think the rest of the cast was fantastic and great in their roles.
The best part of the entire movie for me was Sam Rockwell as Owen. I think he had the right mix of fun, sass, and supporter to Duncan. Whenever he was on screen, especially when interacting with Duncan it was great. The movie really picked up with my interest and enjoyment when he was truly introduced into the story. There was a great supporting cast with Allison Janney as Betty, the drunk next door neighbor; AnnaSophia Robb as Suzanna, the teenage girl next door who is also struggling with being a teenager and her relationship with her family; Maya Rudolph, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash as other waterpark employees; Rob Corddry, who I just love in basically everything he does, as Kip.
This movie is very much the Indie Drama and is just showing a snapshot of this boys life and the people he meet. There is some growth that he goes through but as with movie of this sort, it is just about this specific time and place in life and how it is for them to be there. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes or sometimes enjoys this type of movie, because this was a very good version.
My Rating: 3+
The Way Way Back is centered around fourteen year old Duncan, played by Liam James who is going to his mother boyfriend's Trent, played by Steve Carell, beach house for the summer. With his is his mother Pam, played by Toni Collette, and Trent's daughter. Duncan has a poor relationship with Trent and this is identified at the beginning of the movie when Trent asks Duncan to rate his life on a scale of 1-10 and then rates him a 3. Trent is controlling and a huge A-hole to Duncan but due to being there with his mom Duncan has to put up with it. During this summer he meets the owner of a local waterpark Owen, played by Sam Rockwell, and start to grow as a person and discover who he is. It is basically the beginning of a coming of age story for Duncan with him trying to deal with situations that he did not choose to put himself in while trying to make it work.
For me, this movie takes a while to get going and some of the story line seems a bit over awkward. I know that awkward was the point of this, as it has the indie drama feel to it but for me Steve Carell had difficulty with the A-hole feel. This may be because he always tends to play things more comedy or dark comedy and this character didn't really have any lovable parts to it and I had difficulty seeing him embody the character. I also thought the chemistry between him and Toni Collette could have been better as they are suppose to be boyfriend and girlfriend and I would have liked it if there was a bit more between them. That being said, I think the rest of the cast was fantastic and great in their roles.
The best part of the entire movie for me was Sam Rockwell as Owen. I think he had the right mix of fun, sass, and supporter to Duncan. Whenever he was on screen, especially when interacting with Duncan it was great. The movie really picked up with my interest and enjoyment when he was truly introduced into the story. There was a great supporting cast with Allison Janney as Betty, the drunk next door neighbor; AnnaSophia Robb as Suzanna, the teenage girl next door who is also struggling with being a teenager and her relationship with her family; Maya Rudolph, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash as other waterpark employees; Rob Corddry, who I just love in basically everything he does, as Kip.
This movie is very much the Indie Drama and is just showing a snapshot of this boys life and the people he meet. There is some growth that he goes through but as with movie of this sort, it is just about this specific time and place in life and how it is for them to be there. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes or sometimes enjoys this type of movie, because this was a very good version.
My Rating: 3
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